BEIJING/WASHINGTON - China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes the US decision to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Sunday.

In response to the erroneous action by the United States, China will file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization and take corresponding countermeasures to firmly safeguard its rights and interests, the MOC said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday to impose a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China, the latest US trade protectionist measure which has drawn widespread opposition both domestically and internationally.

The White House said the 10 percent tariff is on all imports from China on top of existing tariffs. Trump says the tariffs dovetail with his embrace of protectionist measures.

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MOC spokesperson He Yadong earlier said China's position on the tariff issue is consistent. Tariff measures are not conducive to the interests of either China or the United States, nor to the rest of the world, He said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has said that China always believes that there is no winner in a trade war or tariff war, and remains steadfast in safeguarding its national interests.  

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According to the executive order, the United States also imposed a 25 percent tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada. For energy products from Canada, the administration imposed a 10 percent tariff.